Mini Preview... what does 11F do to a palm garden in the pnw?

what does 11F do to a palm garden in the pnw?  that was the question I was dealing with after some nasty cold that swept through the Fraser Valley.  Thankfully, most things are looking really great.  This was actually a really great test for me.  It kinda legitimizes my dreams of a tropical oasis actually.  It also goes to show just how hardy certain plants like trachycarpus fortunei actually are.

Like I said, all looks great, but time definitely will tell.  I really don't foresee any problems with them given how good everything looks.  I gave the central growing spears a good tug and they appear happy and healthy which is really what is important.  With palms however, damage can often take a long time to show itself, so I will keep checking up on them.

One of my greatest surprises was this little aloe aristata.  I had no idea how hardy it actually was.  Most websites claim it's zone 9a hardy but I have read that they have survived fine in some zone 8a locations in the US south which gave me some hope. There were some old school christmas lights turned on in close proximity to it which would have moderated temperatures slightly which I am sure helped it along. I am really excited about this one.  As for the echeveria glauca nearby.... it survived too!

Sadly, it's twin, just a few feet away has turned to absolute mush!  Stay tuned for some more updates... all the good bad and the ugly :P (yes, there is some ugly)!